NFL Player News

Wells brought in his only target for 22 yards in the Buccaneers' 27-17 preseason loss to the Steelers on Friday night.

Wells had been making an impact in training camp practices with his pass-catching chops, and he was able to carry over that momentum into his first preseason action. The 28-year-old, whose NFL regular-season experience is limited to three games and 12 snaps from scrimmage with the Cardinals back in 2021, is battling rookie fifth-round pick Payne Durham for the role of top backup pass-catching option at tight end behind Cade Otton. Wells will continue that quest during the Buccaneers' second preseason game next Saturday night on the road versus the Jets.

Quitoriano (quadriceps) was removed from the active/PUP list and practiced Saturday, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Quitoriano was in full pads for Saturday's walkthrough and appears ready to make his preseason debut next weekend versus the Dolphins. The tight end is competing with Brevin Jordan (hamstring) for the primary reserve role behind Dalton Schultz in 2023.

Kincaid (back) suited up for Saturday's preseason opener against Indianapolis, but he was not targeted during his brief exhibition debut.

While it would have been nice to see the first tight end taken in this year's draft get involved on offense, the fact that Kincaid suited up for the first of three exhibition contests at least confirms that he is completely over the back issues he experienced in the offseason. Buffalo traded up in the first round to draft the receiving tight end, and early reports indicate that the team has no intention of making the rookie sit behind the incumbent veteran, Dawson Knox, either. Perhaps we get a longer look at the exciting tight end prospect against the Steelers next Saturday.

Ruckert suffered a shoulder injury during Saturday's 27-0 win over the Panthers, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.

Ruckert left the win a little worse for wear, and more information on his status will likely be provided this week. The tight end reeled in two catches for 19 yards before going down with the injury.

Goedert isn't expected to play in Saturday's preseason contest in Baltimore, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Along with quarterback Jalen Hurts and the rest of the starting offense, Goedert won't be out there for the Eagles' exhibition opener. Instead, some combination of Dan Arnold, Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra and Tyree Jackson will man tight end. Goedert's next opportunity for game action is this coming Thursday versus the Browns.

Heyward secured both of his targets for 34 yards while rushing once for five yards during Friday's 27-17 preseason win over the Buccaneers.

Heyward played just 12 snaps during Friday's preseason opener, but he was relatively productive, highlighted by a 24-yard reception to put the Steelers in field-goal range late in the first half. Despite Friday's encouraging production, Heyward will have increased competition for a role in Pittsburgh's offense after the team selected Darnell Washington in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Schoonmaker (foot) will play in Saturday's preseason game versus the Jaguars, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

A rookie second-round pick, Schoonmaker has been limited throughout training camp while recovering from a partial tear of his plantar fascia that he suffered during OTAs, but it looks like he's healthy enough to handle some game reps versus Jacksonville. With Dalton Schultz now in Houston, Schoonmaker is competing for snaps with Peyton Hendershot and Jake Ferguson.

Gilliam (groin) will not play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Colts, Katherine Fitzgerald of The Buffalo News reports.

Gilliam was sidelined at practice all week due to a groin injury, rendering this news relatively unsurprising. He is the lone fullback on Buffalo's roster, so the team will be unable to run certain sets as long as he is sidelined.

Fortson (shoulder) won't play in Sunday's preseason game against the Saints, Pete Sweeney of SB Nation reports.

Fortson has been battling a shoulder injury during training camp and will remain sidelined for the team's first exhibition contest. The backup tight end will likely have to practice at some point next week if he's going to be cleared for next Saturday's preseason game in Arizona.

Davis suffered a torn ACL in Friday's preseason win over the Bengals, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

A significant contributor to the Packers' special teams, the fourth-year tight end is expected to miss the entire season. It's entirely possible the Packers could sign an additional tight end in the coming days to provide some training camp depth, with only Austin Allen currently on the roster behind 2023 NFL Draft Day 2 selections Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft.